Category Archives: Preparation

Packing is done. I guess I have packed everything I could need and some more things, I hopefully won’t need. Thanks to Thomas for driving to Ski today so that I could buy some last supplies!

Besides of packing, I spent the day with eating. So I should have sufficient energy to get started tomorrow morning. Maybe I will reach Kongsvinger or come close at least. And, when everything works as it should, I will write the first post from the road tomorrow. Exciting!

To test the new chain and the bike in general, I did a little test round today. It went really well! The new chain feels much better than the old one. So I am kind of happy that I had to change it before the long tour starts. Also, this was the first time that I changed a SRAM chain. Up to now I always used Shimano. SRAM comes with these two-piece chain links. They are very convenient to use and since I ordered some extra, I won’t need to bring a piece of chain for potential chain fixes. So, all good so far! Tomorrow will be the great packing day and Sunday the take-off! I am getting excited!

My new chain arrived yesterday! Just in time. Or actually it were three chains I had to connect for the recumbent. I realized that there is one kilo of chain hanging on this bike. No wonder it is a bit heavy. But at least it is ready to go now. I want to start cycling on Sunday, so it is time to start packing.

And I sewed the flags of my two favorite countries to my safety flag 🙂

We did a work trip by car the last weekend and were following an alternative road to Sunndalsøra. First we followed E6 at the shores of Mjøsa but went out to Elverum instead of driving to Lillehammer. This showed two things: first, bike road 7 is following E6 at Mjøsa without any possibility to get away from the soon-to-be highway. So it is pretty terrible to drive there. And second, the road following Glomma is really nice. There is the more or less official bike road 9 as well, also known as “Villmarksruta” (wilderness route). Sounds more exciting than following the highway. So I will take the blue route to Oppdal instead. That means, going to Kongsvinger first and following Glomma for a pretty long time until I leave the river to go up to Rondane. Another plus is that there is no “unnecessary” climbing involved, as it was near Lillehammer on the old route. (The profile picture is for the blue part only)

Up to now I did all long trips with a “normal” touring bike but I just bought a recumbent last winter and I am eager to try it on a really long trip. It is pretty different cycling and there are some pros and cons of course. The lower wind resistant is great but you are more exposed to the rain. Also, it is pretty tough to cycle uphill because of higher weight and the sitting position. But biggest advantages are the comfortable seat and the view: because of the lay-back position, you can enjoy the landscape much more than on a normal bike. Another plus is that my recumbent is fold-able. That makes it very easy (and cheap) to transport in the train.
Unfortunately my chain ripped off last week. I ordered a new one and hope that it will arrive on time.

What to bring on a three to four week cycling trip? It is probably all about finding the best balance between comfort and weight. So clothes for a couple of days are enough and then they can be washed on the way. The problem in Norway though is that the weather can be very different from the warm south to the arctic north. So it is better to be prepared for some cold, rainy or stormy days. I didn’t intend to travel very light anyways. That is wouldn’t be possible with the heavy recumbent. My focus is more on a comfortable travel. I rather sit longer on my bike than ride it very fast.

So here is my equipment list: Camping (Yes, good sleeping comfort is important for me):

Tent: Helsport Ringstind Light 2. A 2-persons tent, so it has plenty of space, also for the bike bags. It weights about 2kg and is very stable in wind and any weather.

Sleeping bag: Mountain Equipment Classic 750 Light. A down sleeping bag with comfort temperature down to -5 degrees C. It weights about 1.4kg. Pretty heavy. But I rather carry a couple of hundred grams more than freezing in the night.

Mattress: Therm A Rest Trail Light. Weights 800g and is pretty big. But I love this mattress because of the comfort. My favorite so far.

Air pillow from Ajungilak. Very light and compact. Not very comfortable but I haven’t found anything better yet.

Gas cooker and cartridge. I will probably carry one extra cartridge most of the time, just to be sure.

Camping pots. Two pots and a pan/lit. Pot handle, some spices, spork, lighter are carried inside.

And this is the profile. The first 600km to Trondheim are probably the hardest. 1,230m at the highest point. The total climb for the trip was calculated to 39,515m. That means an average of 1,500m incline per 100km of travel distance. I guess – and according to experience of riding in Norway – 1000m per 100km is more realistic. Still pretty tough with approximately 40-45kg of gear (bike + luggage). That’s how it is in Norway. It is never really flat.

This is an overview of the planned trip. Apart from the little detour to Sunndalsøra, I will follow the Norwegian bike route 7 to Trondheim and afterwards the 1C to the cape. The Trøndelag part of the trip (roughly the area between Trondheim and Bodö) is interrupted by about seven ferries. This can be a problem because some of them go only a couple of times per day. The newly build tunnels made them almost obsolete. However, usually cyclists are not allowed to use the tunnels. My plan is to bring printouts of the ferry schedules at least. That should help to avoid to long interruptions.

I am especially looking forward to the Lofoten and Vesterålen. Beside of the unique landscape, this part should be pretty flat as well.

This is going to be the first tour over several weeks, which I will do all by myself. I will not have so much time, so I plan the trip carefully to avoid time consuming detours. It seems that I will have about three weeks plus a couple of days to reach the cape and the total distance will be more or less 2,500km. Probably a bit too ambitious, but we will see how it goes.

Because of my work schedule, I will cycle to Sunndalsöra within the first week of July, work there for one week and will continue the trip to the north cape for the rest of the month. Probably this little work break will be welcome after the tough days in the mountains.